Foreign Airlines operating in the country have disputed the announcement by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, that it has settled all outstanding backlogs of valid foreign exchange claims. However, the resident of the Association of Foreign Airlines and Representatives in Nigeria (AFARN) Kingsley Nwokoma, in an interview with Leadership Newspaper, stated that about $700 million belonging to foreign airlines was still trapped in the country. “This statement is just like the same thing they said the last time. If they say they have cleared it, then they should be transparent because transparency means showing how much they have paid to each sector, they should let us know,” Nwokoma stated.
The size of Ghana’s economy stood at GH¢841.63 billion in 2023, the Ghana Statistical Services has revealed. This includes net indirect taxes estimated at GH¢58.74 billion. In 2022, the size of the country’s economy was estimated at GH614.33 billion. The services sector constituted the biggest sector, accounting for GH¢357.34 billion and representing a 45.6% contribution to GDP. Industry followed with GH¢247.941 billion, about 31.7% contribution to GDP. Agriculture was estimated at GH¢177.606 billion (22.7% contribution to GDP). The report added that Gross National Income per capita from a local currency perspective has more than doubled since 2018, from GH9,813 to GH25,349. However, from a US dollar viewpoint, the report said the income per head has remained about the same in the last six years, ranging from a highest of $2,453 to a lowest of $2,126.
Senegal will hold its delayed presidential election on 24 March, after President Macky Sall failed to postpone the vote and two key opponents were released from prison. The ruling coalition has picked Amadou Ba, 62, a former prime minister and finance minister, as its candidate, who is likely to pursue Senegal’s investor-friendly policies as it prepares to become an oil and gas producer by the end of 2024. But Ba faces a crowded opposition field of 18 candidates, the most prominent being 43-year-old former tax inspector Bassirou Faye, who has been propelled to the frontline by opposition leader Ousmane Sonko. Both Sonko and Faye were released from jail on 14 March due to an amnesty proposed by Sall after months in detention, and have since drawn thousands to their rallies. Without any opinion polls, it is not clear whether any candidate will secure over 50% of the vote to prevent a run-off.